When did "dressing up" to go to the theater stop?

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 3:33pm

If you look at older videos/films/television shows, it seems that going to the theater in the 1900's was seen as more of an "event" and you'd have men dress in suits and women with a full face of make up and even dramatic evening gowns just to see a Broadway show. Around what time did seeing theatre switch to a more casual event and why?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 3:50pm

I noticed things starting to change around the mid-90s. As someone who has been attending Broadway shows in NYC since the very early 70s (I was 7 years old for my first Broadway show), I continue to treat Broadway as an event and dress up nicely (a blazer is always included). The price of tickets these days also reminds me it’s not just a movie night but a fabulous night at the theater. I think the rush and lottery bit has also lowered expectations to dress up a bit as well. Before 1996, there were no rush/lottery tickets, just SRO if a performance sold out.

[pjc1]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 3:57pm

I remember reading an article back in the 90s that said that Tommy’s audiences were noticeably more informally dressed than other audiences at the time. It seems to line up with what was said above since that show opened in 1993. No idea if that opened the casual floodgates.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 4:16pm

I first noticed a change in the late 1960s, with the "Anti-Vietnam War" movement.  Prior to then, I always dressed up for the theatre or Las Vegas or to fly on commercial airlines.  Either I wore my military uniform or I wore (if not a jacket and tie) at least slacks and a long-sleeved shirt.  But then I noticed all the Flower Children sitting next to me at events, and I began to dress more casually (jeans and polo shirts, maybe).  But I still enjoy dressing up a bit, no matter what others are wearing. 

Updated On: 10/25/21 at 04:16 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 4:26pm

I think it has more to do with society than the theatre and I do think it started in the 60s. Today, with very few exceptions, dress as you wish is the philosophy. There are enough old TV shows and especially game shows available online so one could pretty easily chart the evolution. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 4:27pm

It didn't stop; you're just seeing less of it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:02pm

People use to dress up for plane, train and bus travel, too. And work. And dinner at a friends. I dont muss it, at all.

Usually, I'm dressed for the day when I'm in the city, no way I'm wearing uncomfortable heels all day.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:03pm

Like the artfully rolled R, it had a final heyday in the sixties but faded soon after.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:03pm

That's why you carry heels in your bag and walk around the city in flats. I've never not dressed up for the theater in a dress or very nice skirt. I still treat it like it's an event because for the prices I pay, it absolutely is one. 

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:18pm

Sutton Ross said: "That's why you carry heels in your bag and walk around the city in flats. I've never not dressed up for the theater in a dress or very nice skirt. I still treat it like it's an event because for the prices I pay, it absolutely is one."

THIS. I wear sneakers/flats to walk the city, and I will keep ankle boots in my bag. I sometimes look at the tagged photos from the Musical pages on Instagram and a lot of people are still dressing nice.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:20pm

Yup. It's New York City. Dress the hell up.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:26pm

Yep, dress like it's Fashion Week people! 

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:29pm

LizzieCurry said: "It didn't stop; you're just seeing less of it."

I agree and it depends on the show too. I still see a lot of people dressed up for the type of show they are attending.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:33pm

As long as the person next to you doesn't smell, who cares? Dress the way that makes you comfortable.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:34pm

Lolz

[adotburr]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:37pm

I can only attend matinees but I’m wondering if evening shows are more dressed up than matinees. I do see a handful of business professional patrons, some are business casual, but the bulk are street clothes. I like to think when dressing the morning before I leave that if I can wear it to work, I can wear it to the theatre (and I work in a law firm). Only once I’ve worn a sweatshirt (normally a nice blouse and sweater) because I forgot to pack my sweater in my bag and was freezing so I bought one at a gift shop somewhere in Times Square.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:39pm

I was born in '93, so the most "dressing up" I ever did for the theatre was most likely the sequined velvet dress my parents put me in to see Beauty and the Beast when I was small. :)

I tended (in The Before Times, at least) to only see shows on weeknights, which meant that I and a lot of the crowd just wore whatever it was they had worn to work. There's only been one or two times in my life where I've seen someone I thought was inappropriately dressed - usually it had to do more with "why would you wear that in public" rather than "why would you wear that to the theatre."

Does anyone else remember this same conversation coming up years back on this board? I remember there was some serious pearl clutching in that thread, to which one wise soul responded, "OK, Miss Prissy Goes to the Thea-tuh."

All that said, I won't have enough time this weekend to change between my matinee of Caroline and the party I'm going to, so I guess I'll be in costume, but that just brings me back to what I've always thought about Broadway dress codes - you go to the theatre to look, not to be looked at.

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 5:44pm

I definitely see a larger percent of the crowd dressed up on Saturday night as opposed to some of the other performances.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:05pm

Well the definition of “dressing up” has also changed. Men and women wear “nice jeans” with a dress shirt or snazzy blouse and cute shoes. It’s not as formal as before but people look sharp.

Joan Rivers hated the term “nice jeans” and “dressy flip flops.” She thought those people were cretins. Lol

When I visit the city for theatre I’m a tourist. It’s an Olympic event. I’m wearing nice running shoes, nice jeans and a button down shirt. I’m running all over the city before, after and between shows so I want to be comfortable.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:15pm

dramamama611 said: "As long as the person next to you doesn't smell, who cares? Dress the way that makes you comfortable."

And as long as your seat neighbor isn't munching on peanut M&Ms.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:16pm

I can honestly say I’ve never paid attention to the way other theater patrons are dressed. It doesn’t affect me and I don’t understand why the hell I’d care.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:26pm

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "dramamama611 said: "As long as the person next to you doesn't smell, who cares? Dress the way that makes you comfortable."

And as long as your seat neighbor isn't munching on peanut M&Ms."

Unless they share with me. (j/k, no one likes a smelly neighbor, whether from food or body.)

Personally, I loathe dressing up for any circumstance from work to weddings to theater. I'm never more uncomfortable than when I'm dressed up and feel like I'm wearing a costume. I'm going to wear what I'm comfortable in if I paid $$$ to see something where I have to sit in an uncomfortable seat for 2-3 hours. If that includes jeans and sneakers, and if that offends others' sensibilities, I couldn't care less.

That said, to those who enjoy dressing up, more power to you!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:38pm

Same with airline and movie prices, part of me thinks once prices got high enough, there reached a certain threshold when some people decided, "I'm paying all this movie, I'm gonna do what I want." If that means they're walking into their Premium Seats in short-shorts and a flip flops. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:43pm

everythingtaboo said: "Same with airline and movie prices, part of me thinks once prices got high enough, there reached a certain threshold when some people decided, "I'm paying all this movie, I'm gonna do what I want." 
 

The women sitting behind me at Rock of Ages who bared her boobs to Stacey (James Carpinello) during curtain call certainly thought so. 
 

 

 

[rg7759]

Posted: 10/25/21 at 6:43pm

Healthcare is a luxury? People are scared to call an ambulance because they'll be harassed to pay for it? When did salaried positions stop? Benefits/ retirement? In case it's not crystal f' ing clear for you, society is NOT DOING WELL. If you're sitting in the very top of the balcony why even wear pants